


Prelude

by LibraryMage



Series: Let's Go Steal A Family [1]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Character Study, Gen, I turned this series into a modern with magic AU while no one was looking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26449516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibraryMage/pseuds/LibraryMage
Summary: Before they were a team, they were just five people.  Five thieves.  Five mages.
Series: Let's Go Steal A Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1038215
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	1. Nate: Vengeance

**Author's Note:**

> It's just a short character study of each member of the crew. Nothing special. Just something to get me back into writing this AU.

There was no magic that could reverse death.

That fact hadn’t crossed Nate’s mind as he pressed his hands to Sam’s chest, desperate to do what the doctors couldn’t. A small part of him whispered that he’d only been dead a minute, that there was still time, still something he could do.

But there wasn’t. He knew that. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget it.

That knowledge wouldn’t leave him be. It was burned into his mind along with that flat blue line and the harsh, electronic wail of the monitor.

_There was nothing you could do._

To some, that thought might be comforting; a way to lift the weight of guilt off their shoulders. To Nate, it was an accusation; a sign that he’d failed as a parent. Short of putting a gun to Ian Blackpoole’s head, there was nothing he could have done to save Sam.

_Blackpoole._

That name rang in his ears with every step he took, every bottle he emptied, every moment of restless sleep.

_Blackpoole. Blackpoole. Blackpoole._

There was no magic that could reverse death. But there was magic that could make people hurt.

He couldn’t bring Sam back. But he could get the vengeance that he and Maggie deserved.


	2. Sophie: Shift

Sophie Devereaux was not a shapeshifter.

Her supposed ability to change her appearance at will was just one of the many rumors that added to her legend with each con. The truth was something far more subtle. She planted a different truth in her mark's head, until they couldn’t remember if the woman they’d been speaking to was a blonde or a redhead or a white-haired old lady. She told them they would forget her face and any questions she asked them, and within seconds, they did.

She never changed her appearance, but she changed the way people perceived it. As a child, she’d been told it was called glamour, and that it was a rare for someone to have the level of mastery over it that she did.

In so many ways, it was similar to how she conned her marks. Half an idea here, a vague hint there, and they formed just the conclusion she wanted them to. Combining her grifting skills with her magic had created a legend. Sophie Devereaux was a shapeshifter. Sophie Devereaux was a ghost. Sophie Devereaux was a faerie.

None of those things were true, of course. But letting people think they were certainly wouldn’t hurt.


	3. Hardison: Creative

People had always described Hardison as creative.

When he was little, his mom would call him that as she carefully taped his drawings to the fridge. Later, it was Nana who called him that as he took the spells she taught him and crafted them into something all his own. Teachers, friends, foster siblings. The one word their descriptions of him would all have in common was _creative_.

It stood to reason that his magic would be that way, too.

Magic and technology weren’t as separate as most people liked to pretend they were. And to Hardison, they were one in the same. Firewalls were shields. Encryption was a cloaking spell. GPS was a tracking spell that was easier to fool.

As Hardison’s power grew, his creations became more and more complex. He crafted encryption so strong no one but another mage could break it. He built fake identities so airtight they would fool anyone short of the CIA. He created viruses that were virtually undetectable.

Magic and technology weren’t separate, and in Hardison’s hands, they were a perfect match. And with both of them, Hardison could create anything.


	4. Eliot: Burn

Magic was dangerous.

Eliot had known it since he was a kid. Since he’d first realized that when he got angry, his touch could burn people.

Magic was dangerous, and so he didn’t use it.

With every punch, he reigned in his anger. It fought to escape him, pounding against the inside of his chest. But he couldn’t let himself feel it. Not during a fight. Not when he was already trying to hurt someone.

In every fight, the images flashed in his mind. His brother’s arm after Eliot had pushed him. The bright red mark on Hunter Classen’s face after Eliot had punched him. The scorch mark on the classroom wall. They haunted him, constant reminders of just how destructive his magic was.

Magic was dangerous. But no matter how badly Eliot wanted to, he could never get rid of it.


	5. Parker: Shadow

Parker thrived in darkness.

The shadows were the safest place she knew. Always had been. They protected her, welcomed her as one of their own in a way people never had.

It had been that way forever. As far back as she could remember, shadows had been her hiding place. Whenever the grown-ups fought, she would back into a dark corner until she could slip away without being noticed. During the hours she spent locked in the closet, she would curl up in the corner farthest from the door, letting the shadows coil around her and shield her from her own fear.

Now, she moved through the shadows with ease, and they always responded when she called. They warned her of danger and hid her from sight. They fought for her and kept her safe.

Parker thrived in darkness. The shadows always had her back.


End file.
